Sold it?

I'm in a rather confused mood at the moment. The internal debate that I'm having with myself is a rather simple one: was today a success or a failure? On one hand, we went to Syracuse today and came back State Champions in the small school II class. On the other, we weren't the only band to be able to say that statement at the end of the day.

For those of you who may not be in marching band, and haven't heard yet, there was a tie today between Leroy and Mohonason for first place in the state. For just the third time in the NYSFBC history, two bands returned home with a tie. When it was announced, nobody knew what to do. At first, we waited for the voice to tell us that he was only kidding, trying to lighten the intense , nervous atmosphere that had filled the Carrier Dome. After reality had set in, there were those who were happy with being the state champions, and there were those who recognized this as a let down and a failure.

If the debate within myself was a real one, like the presidential debates with crowds hanging on every word, the two sides could be summarized as Optimism and Pessimism. On the optimistic side, the debater would have several major points. First of all, we came back to Leroy today with a gold plaque that said first place on it. There was a convoy of firetrucks waiting to escort us to the school from the exit of the thruway. Our name will be on the Governor's Cup, and that cup will be stored within our school... at least for part of the year. All of these indicate that we should all feel incredibly accomplished today. We did what we set out to do this year, from band camp in August, all the way to the end of October.

However, no debate goes uncontested. The pessimistic side in all of us must have a point or two up it's sleeve, or else we all would have felt a lot better on the bus ride home. It isn't very complicated. we had the highest score in the state going into the finals today. By a number of points, in fact. Mohonason tied while moving up, we tied while moving down. It's not hard to imagine why some members of the band would be slightly disappointed at the end of the day. After all, who likes to tie?

The first time two bands tied in championship competition, the rules were changed so that bands were judged to the hundredth of a point. The next time it happened, the entire system of classification was changed in New York State. So, if history is any indication, something major should happen as a result of this. My personal favorite idea would be to have a drum line battle in the event of a tie. Hardcore, intense drumming to settle the score.

In the midst of this confusing feeling within the entire band on the way home, I had already began thinking about next year. While I was drinking a celebratory "Margarita," I had visions of next year's show... featuring a trumpet duet. I was already excited to lead the band through the grueling week of band camp, and throughout the rest of the year as well. I could already see the line of blocks on the field at the Dome next year. In the middle are two bands, Leroy and Mohonason, standing next to each other, fittingly. The reading of the scores will be even more intense this time, and after an entire year of thinking about a tie the year before, Leroy will hopefully go home as sole winners of the state.

No matter what, though, nothing beats the feeling that Dome dishes out. There are many things that you could call your favorite part of it. Maybe it's the blast of air that hits you as you're rushed through the doors. Perhaps you like the echo of the snare-tap as you march onto the field. It could just be the way your body shakes as you're playing the most moving impact of a ballad that you've ever played, to the point that it gets hard to breathe. Walking off the field after the show is the real indication of how well the band did this year. When the cadence starts and the crowd is going nuts, and you're walking off the field and can't help but mutter a "FUCK YEAH!" under your breath, you've done all that you can do. And that really is the defining moment of an entire three month season.